The Cost of the Proposed
Elections Amendment
SEPTEMBER 2012
Kathy Bonnifield, Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota
David A. Schultz, Hamline University
INTRODUCTION
In November, Minnesota’s voters will go to the polls and have their say in determining whether there
should be changes to article seven of Minnesota’s constitution. This ballot question, if passed, would
alter the state constitution to require a valid government-issued photo ID when voting in-person and
to require all voters to have substantially equivalent identity and eligibility verification.
The purpose of this report is to project the costs to state and local governments as well as to
individuals to secure the documents required to obtain an ID. This report looks at several possible
scenarios and estimates the cost of each.
The constitutional amendment states:
(b) All voters voting in person must present valid government-issued photographic
identification before receiving a ballot. The state must issue photographic identification
at no charge to an eligible voter who does not have a form of identification meet ing the
requirements of this section. A voter unable to present government-issued photographic
identification must be permitted to submit a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot must
only be counted if the voter certifies the provisional ballot in the manner provided by
law.
(c) All voters, including those not voting in person, must be subject to substantially
equivalent identity and eligibility verification prior to a ballot being cast or counted.
Although the proposed amendment appears to be just about a photo ID, its language could require
significant changes to Minnesota’s elections. These include changes to mail-in and absentee voting,
changes to Election Day Registration, and the introduction of provisional balloting.
Senator Newman, one of the chief authors of the proposed amendment, stated in hearings that it will
be up to the 2013 legislature to determine how the amendment will be implemented. Thus, he did not
clarify the intent of some of the language, including “substantially equivalent identity and eligibility
verification.” Because there is a lack of certainty regarding how the proposed amendment will be
implemented, should it pass, it is difficult to determine the exact impact and costs to state and local
governments.1
1
In estimating the costs of the amendment in Minnesota, this report is limited in its ability to rely upon the costs to implement voter photo IDs in
other states. The reason for this is because those costs only focus on voter photo IDs and because no other state has embedded the “substantial
equivalent” language in its constitution or in its statutes.
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As this report outlines, the estimated expenses fall under the following categories:
1. State Costs: $102 million-$14 million
a. producing voter photo IDs3: $8.25 million over four years
b. voter education and outreach: $1.7 million to $5.3 million4
2. Local Costs: $26.5 million-$63.6 million
a. provisional balloting,5 electronic rosters for polling places, and converting mail-in
precincts to in-person precincts.6
3. Individual Costs: $16 million-$72 million
This report intends to put forth the best estimate of potential expenses, with the caveat that the
language of the amendment and lack of certainty regarding the enabling legislation creates possible
unknown costs.
BACKGROUND
In 2011, a voter photo ID bill was vetoed by Governor Dayton. That bill (HF 210/ SF89) would have
1. required voters appearing in a polling place to present proof of identity and residence. Valid
photo IDs included a Minnesota Driver’s License, Minnesota ID card, a Tribal ID card if it
contained the data that are included on a Minnesota identification card or a newly created
voter photo ID card. It exempted people who had a religious objection from being
photographed. If the voter moved or if his or her name changed, the photo ID would no
longer be valid;
2. eliminated vouching as a mechanism for voter registration (with the exemption of a resident
of a shelter for battered women who could be vouched for by an employee of the shelter);
3. established provisional balloting, which would be an option for voters who did not have a
valid photo ID or who were challenged;7 and
4. established standards for electronic rosters that could only be used if the internet connection
to the Statewide Voter Registration System was sufficient to prevent a voter from voting
more than once, and to prevent access to the system by unauthorized individuals.8
Election Day Registration would have continued with a number of IDs that could be acceptable to
register to vote, including a U.S. Passport or military ID. However, if the voter did not possess one of
the valid photo IDs mentioned in point one, he or she could only vote provisionally. A voter’s
2
Rounding to the nearest million
The production of voter photo IDs will be reoccurring cost.
4
This is not a reoccurring cost.
5
Provisional balloting will be reoccurring costs.
6
Some of these costs, such as provisional voting and the updating of the electronic voting equipment, are reoccurring.
7
Bill Summary. House Research Department. Article 1, section 23.April 28, 2011
3
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/bs/87/HF0210.html
8
Bill Summary. House Research Department, Article 3. April 28, 2011 http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/bs/87/HF0210.html
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eligibility would be confirmed based on data in the electronic roster or, if that was not available at the
precinct, a list of ineligible individuals.
Because the Minnesota House of Representative’s chief author for HF 210, Mary Kiffmeyer, was
also a chief author of the proposed amendment, one might assume that the elements in the vetoed
legislation could be part of the proposed amendment, should it pass. It’s also important to note that
there was neither bipartisan backing of the 2011 vetoed voter photo ID bill nor bipartisan backing of
the proposed elections amendment. Furthermore, all seats in the Minnesota House and Senate are
open for election this year. Thus, the balance of the power may shift. This may mean that even if it
passes, it may not be implemented in the manner intended by its chief author. Furthermore, it will
not just be up to the Minnesota House and Senate to interpret the language of the proposed
amendment — the Governor still has the power to veto bills as long as his veto does not conflict with
the Minnesota Constitution.9
Because of these unknowns (the interpretation of the language, the balance of the House and Senate,
and what the Governor may or may not approve or veto), this report will rely on some budget
estimates for the vetoed legislation as well as costs to other states.
In fact, in Gov. Dayton’s May 26, 2011, veto letter (regarding HF210 , the voter photo ID bill) he wrote, “I am most concerned with the lack of
bipartisan involvement in developing such major changes to our election process. As stated by Governor Pawlenty, “Election laws set forth rules
relating to the fundamental right to vote and the government's administration of those rights. The details of these laws matter, and the manner in
which they are adopted matters as well. Omnibus election bills making changes to our election process should be bipartisan.” I will not sign an
election bill that comes to me without broad bipartisan legislative support. Veto letter, http://mn.gov/governor/multimedia/pdf/Ch-69-SF509.pdf
9
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STATE COSTS
VOTER PHOTO IDS AND EDUCATION10
$9.95 MILLION-13.55 MILLION
PRODUCING THE VOTER PHOTO IDS: AT LEAST $8.25 MILLION OVER FOUR YEARS.
The proposed amendment would require all in-person voters to have a valid government-issued photo
ID. It also would require all voters to have substantially equivalent identity and eligibility
verification. There are no exemptions.
Indiana, a state that exempts absentee voters and has some exemptions for in-person voters, spent
$10 million in four years just for providing free photo IDs.11 It has approximately 4.7 million citizens
who are eligible to vote.12 This means that the cost just for providing free identification was $2.15
per eligible voter.13 Minnesota has approximately 3.8 million citizens14 who are eligible to vote. If
the costs were comparable, the State of Minnesota should budget for at least $8.25 million15 just for
the distribution of free photo IDs over four years. This cost may be higher since there would be no
exemptions to the voter photo ID requirement and because Minnesota has a much higher turnout rate
than Indiana.16 This would be a reoccurring cost.
VOTER EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: BETWEEN $1.7 MILLION AND $5.3 MILLION
Voter photo ID laws require public education efforts to inform voters of the new requirement,
including providing information about which photo IDs are valid. Courts in Georgia ruled that
inadequate public education efforts invalidated its voter ID law. Based on Georgia’s public education
and outreach, the Brennan Center noted in The Cost of Voter ID Laws: What the Courts Say that
“Other states looking to impose a photo ID requirement should be prepared to
undertake a similarly costly effort if they want their laws to survive a court
challenge. These costs are likely to include: mailings to all citizens informing
them of new ID requirements and how to obtain a voter ID; production of radio
and television public service announcements; purchase of airtime to broadcast
these public service announcements; purchase of space in newspapers to
10
There may be additional costs to the state, such as possible lawsuits.
Voter Identification: The True Costs An Analysis of Minnesota’s Voter Identification Amendment (Nicolas Anhut, Nina Huntington, and
Melissa Young). Master in Public Policy and Master in Public Administration Capstone Paper, The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public
Affairs, The University of Minnesota. Page 18. 2012.
http://www.mncounties.org/HHH%20Institute%20Final%20voter%20ID%20report%20AMC.pdf
12
2008 General Election Turnout Rates. Voting Eligible Population. United States Elections Project. (Dr. Michael McDonald) Department of Public and
International Affairs, George Mason University. http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html
13
$10million/ 4,653,019 eligible voters=$2.15
14
Actual estimate is 3,837,237. http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2012P.html
15
2008 General Election Turnout Rates. Voting Eligible Population. United States Elections Project. (Dr. Michael McDonald) Department of Public and
International Affairs, George Mason University. http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html
$2.15 x 3837237 million voters in Minnesota=$8.25 million
16
77.8% for Minnesota vs. 59.1% for Indiana in 2008, 2008 General Election Turnout Rates. Voting Eligible Population. United States Elections
Project. (Dr. Michael McDonald) Department of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University.
http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html
11
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advertise new voter ID requirements; and website modifications to publicize
new voter ID requirements. These costs will be borne by state and local officials
and may be similar to the costs of recent campaigns to educate voters about new
voting machines.”17
To demonstrate the importance of voter education, in October 2011, months after Tennessee passed
its voter photo ID requirement, a poll demonstrated that 71 percent of adults in Tennessee knew that
the requirement existed. However, only 51 percent of adults under 40 years old know about the law,
while
“about half or fewer, however, know such specifics about the law as whether valid forms of
ID include an expired Tennessee driver’s license, a University of Tennessee student ID, or an
employee ID issued by a private-sector company.”18
If the amendment passes, voters may incorrectly assume that the photo ID they carry is valid. For
example, students at private colleges can currently use a school photo ID (and documentation of
residency) to register on Election Day in Minnesota. However, the proposed amendment would
require government-issued photo IDs, so a private college photo ID would no longer be valid.
Furthermore, if the proposed amendment is implemented in a manner similar to the 2011 vetoed bill,
other forms of government-issued photo ID, such as a military ID or a U.S. passport, would not be
acceptable for already registered voters as well as those who register on Election Day. The State must
undertake to ensure that voters are aware not just that a photo voter ID requirement exists but also
which IDs are valid for voting.
Voter outreach and education in other states has included:
 Indiana spent $2.2 million on voter outreach over four years for its 4.87 million voters19 (0.45
per voter).
 In 2010, Missouri estimated it would cost $1.5 million on outreach and educational efforts
via television, radio, cable television, and newsprint with additional costs totaling $1.7million
for a total of $3.2million or $1.40 per voter. 20,21
Minnesota currently has 3.8 million eligible voters.22 Using Indiana’s actual cost as well as
Missouri’s estimated cost, it will cost between $1.7 million23 and $5.3 million24 for voter education
and outreach.25
17
The Cost of Voter ID Laws: What the Courts Say. Vishal Agraharkar, Wendy Weiser, and Adam Skagg. Brennan Center for Justice at New
York School of Law. 2011. http://www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/Voter%20ID%20Cost%20Memo%20FINAL.pdf
18
MTSU Poll Report, Fall 2011, Middle Tennessee State University, http://mtsusurveygroup.org/wpcontent/uploads/2011/10/MTSU_Poll_Fall2011_Report.pdf
19
Ohio photo voter ID: A picture worth $7 million a year? Policy Matters Ohio, April 26, 2012. http://www.policymattersohio.org/voter-idapr2012#_ftn21
20
“Mailings to 4.5 million Missourians to notify them of the new identification requirements. - $1,701.450; Production of radio and TV public
service announcements - $1,240.” CEIMN assumes there was a typo in the fiscal note and that the mailing cost should have a comma after the
one but before the four. Fiscal Note, Missouri General Assembly, Committee on Legislative Research, Oversight Division. May 12, 2006
http://www.moga.mo.gov/oversight/over06/fishtm/4947-25t.org.htm
21
The variance in cost and estimate may be due to a number of factors including media costs — which differ from state to state.
22
Actual estimate is 3,837,237. http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2012P.html
23
3,837,237x $.045=$1,72 6,757
24
3,837,237x $1.40=$5,236,000=5,373,531
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COUNTY COSTS
$26.5 MILLION — $63.6 MILLION
The proposed amendment will also have costs to local governments. These costs include:
 Provisional balloting, including staff costs and supplies;
 computers for polling places as well as costs to prepare polling places for the electronic
pollbooks; and
 if there are mail-in precincts, converting them to in-person precincts.
The Minnesota Association of County Officers surveyed counties and learned that:
“Generally, costs vary with the number of voters that a county. So, for example:
Small: Pennington County (7,200 voters) has cost estimates of between
$55,000 and $120,000* in additional costs
Medium: Stearns County (85,000 voters) has cost estimates of between
$435,000 and $965,000* in additional costs
Large: Ramsey County (297,000 voters) has cost estimates of between
$1.8 and $4.1 million* in additional costs
The costs for counties that have mail ballot precincts have significantly higher
per capita costs.
Many counties originally chose to move to mail balloting because they did not
have facilities available to serve polling places that were accessible to voters
with disabilities. Because mail balloting would be eliminated by the amendment,
these counties would be required to re-establish polling places for these
precincts and would incur the costs associated with purchasing ballot counters,
accessible ballot markers, paying election judges, and making the necessary
renovations to their facilities to make them accessible.
For example:
Mail ballot county: Kittson County (2,800 voters) has cost estimates of
over $730,000.
This is a cost of more than $250 per voter.
* The range in cost estimates depends upon whether standard electronic
pollbooks can be used or whether the electronic pollbooks need to have a realtime connection to the Statewide Voter Registration System and meet the other
requirements specified in House File 210.26
25
Costs from both Indiana and Missouri only focused on voter photo ID requirements and they had exemptions. There may be additional costs
incurred to explain the provisional balloting system as well as changes to Election Day Registration. Many of the educational efforts could be tied
to the voter ID requirement but there may be a need to targeted additional outreach. For example, special outreach may be needed for mail-in
precincts and nursing homes and battered women’s shelters that currently would lose the employee vouching option.
26
Minnesota Association of County Officers.
http://www.ceimn.org/sites/default/files/MACO.%20County%20cost%20summary%20from%20survey.pdf
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The conversion of mail-in precincts is due to the language of subsection (c) of the proposed
amendment, requiring all voters to have “substantially equivalent identity and eligibility
verification…” Pennington, Stearns, and Ramsey counties do not have mail-in precincts, while 92
percent of Kittson County’s precincts are mail-in.
Based on the data from Kittson County, the cost per mail-in precinct would be approximately
$19,500.27 Based on that data, the total for electronic pollbooks without internet connectivity as well
as the costs for mail-in precincts could be between $26.5 million and $34.6 million. It would cost
between $20 million and $29 million more (a total between $46.6 million and $63.6 million) for
pollbooks to have a real-time connection to the Statewide Voter Registration System. The following
section of this report will explain some of the local costs.
1. Election Day Registration (EDR). EDR is used by a substantial portion of Minnesota’s
voting population, with approximately 20 percent of all voters utilizing EDR during
presidential elections for the past decade.28 In fact, in the past two presidential elections, over
500,000 voters have participated in EDR in Minnesota.29 In 2010, at least one voter in 96
percent30 of Minnesota’s precincts used EDR, including 62 percent of mail-in precincts. This
indicates that voters throughout Minnesota are aware of and use EDR.
The proposed amendment would require “all voters to be subject to substantially equivalent
identity and eligibility verification prior to a ballot being cast or counted.” This means that
EDR may either be changed or eliminated. There are three possible scenarios that could
result from the proposed amendment.
a. EDR: elimination. If EDR is eliminated Minnesota would lose its exemption from
the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).31 If this occurs, there will be additional
This data is based on information from a 2012 survey conducted by the Minnesota Association of County Officers (MACO). MACO’s estimates
for the proposed amendment are based on the vetoed HF 210.CEIMN used that data to determine the per voter cost based on actual voters for
Pennington County was $7.57 and $16.51; Stearns was $5.08 and $11.27; and in Ramsey County it was $6.05 and $13.78. These figures include the
costs of provisional balloting and computers for polling places. The lower number represents electronic poll books that do not have an internet
connection to the State Voter Registration System (SVRS) while the larger figure represents a real-time connection to the SVRS. It then applied the
lowest per voter cost ($5.08) and the highest per voter cost ($7.57) for the non-internet poll book to estimate the county costs as well as the lowest
per voter cost ($11.27) and the highest per voter cost ($16.51) for the internet connected poll book. CEIMN then multiplied the total number of
registered voters in 2010 to determine the county costs.
27
These three counties do not have mail-in precincts, thus that cost was not a factor. However, MACO reported that it would cost Kittson County, a
county with a mail-in precinct, a total of $730,000. CEIMN applied the per voter costs from the three counties that did not have mail-in precincts,
multiplied it by the total number of voters of Kittson County. For example, based on the total number of voters in Kittson County, it would cost
between $14,285-$26,426 to implement electronic poll books. However, because additional potential costs are involved with the elimination of
mail-in precincts, Kittson County projected it could cost a total of $730,000. CEIMN subtracted that projected number from $14,285-$26,426 and
divided it by the total number of mail in precincts to determine how much it would cost to convert each precinct. It cost between $19,000-$19,900
per mail in precinct. CEIMN used the figure $19,500 times the mail-in precincts plus the estimated cost per voter to estimate costs for all counties,
including those that do not have mail in precincts.
28
2000: 18.88% of voters used EDR; 2004: 20.47%; 2008: 18.56%. Minnesota General Election Statistics, 1950‐2010. Minnesota Office of the
Secretary of State, Results and Statistics. (1980‐2010 data from Dr. Michael McDonald of George Mason University).
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9232
29
2004: 581,904 and 2008: 542,257 http://www.sos.state.mn.us/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9232
30
96 percent is the equivalent of 3861 of Minnesota’s precincts. 316 of the 517 mail-in precincts had at least one voter use EDR Data gathered from
spreadsheet found at Minnesota Secretary of State, Election Results and Statistics, 2010 Election Results, Federal and state results by precinct.
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=1570.
31
Because of Minnesota’s current Election Day Registration system, the state is exempted from the requirements of the National Voter
Registration Act (NVRA). The exemption exists per 42 U.S.C. sec. 1973gg-2: This subchapter does not apply to a State described in either or
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costs — not just borne by election administrators, but also by all offices in the State
that provide public assistance and all offices in Minnesota that provide state-funded
programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities.
Minnesota would also be mandated by the federal government to designate other
offices as voter registration agencies.32 The NVRA requires that the opportunity to
register to vote be provided with each application for assistance, recertification or
renewal of assistance, or notification of change of address at departments of motor
vehicles and in agencies that serve persons with disabilities or provide public
assistance.33 The number of people who completed the forms as well as declinations
would need to be tracked and must be retained at the agency for two years.
These would be new practices and procedures in Minnesota. The cost of losing
the NVRA exemption, which is unprecedented, could reach millions of dollars.34
b. EDR is materially and substantially changed. In this case all voters who are not
registered — even those who have valid government-issued photo identification —
would be required to cast a provisional ballot. Election Administrators would then
analyze data to determine eligibility before the county canvassing board meets. Based
on the current statute this would be required by the third day after the primary
election 35 and between the third and tenth days following the state general election.36
One method to make this more efficient is to enter data at precincts. The data would
then be brought back — with the provisional ballots — on Election Day night.
County Auditors could then use a secure connection to compare data against the State
Voter Registration System.
Since provisional balloting would be required for registered voters who don’t have a
valid government-issued ID, there would already be set costs for Election Day. But,
for the past 40 years, nearly 20 percent of all voters have registered on Election Day
during presidential elections. Thus, there could be a substantial number of provisional
ballots cast due to EDRs.
both of the following paragraphs: (1) ***(2) A State in which, under law that is in effect continuously on and after August 1, 1994, or that was
enacted on or prior to August 1, 1994, and by its terms is to come into effect upon the enactment of this subchapter, so long as that law remains in
effect, all voters in the State may register to vote at the polling place at the time of voting in a general election for Federal office. [bold inserted]
National Voting Rights Act of 1993, http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/workflow_staging/Page/27.PDF
32
Voter registration agencies that are designated by the state may include, “(i) State or local government offices such as public libraries, public
schools, offices of city and county clerks (including marriage license bureaus), fishing and hunting license bureaus, government revenue offices,
unemployment compensation offices, and offices not described in paragraph (2)(B) that provide services to persons with disabilities; and(ii)
Federal and nongovernmental offices, with the agreement of such offices.” See National Voting Rights Act, § 1973gg–5. Voter registration
agencies.
33
See National Voting Rights Act, § 1973gg–5. Voter registration agencies
34
These costs are not covered in this report.
35
204C.32 Canvass of State Primaries.. Subdivision 1. County canvass
36
204C.33 Canvass of State General Elections..Subdivision 1. County canvass
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Based on the estimated costs to counties — including the costs of provisional ballots,
training and recruitment of election judges, new equipment, and the elimination of
mail-in precincts, the total cost for this method would be between $26.5 million and
$34.6 million.37
c. EDR: review at polling place. In this case, an electronic pollbook with real-time
connectivity to the State Voter Registration System (SVRS) would be instituted. It
would then connect to other databases and lists that confirm eligibility, including the
State Court Administrator, Minnesota Department of Health, Social Security
Administration, and the Commissioner of Corrections.38
Based on the estimated costs to counties — including the costs of provisional ballots,
training and recruitment of election judges, and the elimination of mail-in precincts,
the total estimated cost for this method would be between $46.6 million and $63.6
million.39 A method similar to this was proposed in the vetoed 2011 bill. In that bill,
the fiscal note included $58.8 million for the cost to the State. However, that bill did
not address the cost issues with creating internet connectivity in precincts.
2. Provisional voting. Minnesota currently does not have provisional voting. The United States
Election Assistance Commission defines a provisional ballot as, “A ballot provided to an
individual who claims he or she is registered and eligible to vote but whose eligibility or
registration status cannot be confirmed when he or she presents him-or herself to vote.”40 In
the 2011 vetoed bill, all in-person voters who did not have a valid photo ID card41 that had a
current address on it would become provisional voters — including already registered voters
as well as people who registered on Election Day.
Local governments are expected to shoulder the costs associated with provisional ballots.
Since there are no exemptions, all polling places must have the logistical capabilities to
provide for provisional voting for any in-person voter who doesn’t have a valid governmentissued photo ID. It will be necessary for each precinct to have:
 Two election judges representing two different parties to process provisional ballots at
the precinct;42
37
See appendix A for data for each county
This option differs from the pollbook proposed in 2012, where data from other sources were not linked to the electronic pollbook.
39
See appendix X for data for each county
40
2008 Election Administration and Voting Survey. U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Pages 5-6. November 2009.
http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Documents/2008%20Election%20Administration%20and%20Voting%20Survey%20EAVS%20Report.pdf
41
Valid IDs included a Minnesota Driver’s License, Minnesota ID card, or a Minnesota voter photo ID card. Tribal IDs would only be acceptable
if they contained data from on Minnesota ID cards.
42
It is important that election judges understand how to properly complete provisional balloting envelopes. If there are errors, it may result in the
rejection of the ballot — even if the provisional voter has documented his or her right to vote. For example, the United States Election Assistance
Commission reported that in 2008, 5.1 percent of provisional ballots were rejected because the ballot or outer envelope was incorrectly completed
or the outer envelope lacked a signature. (2008 Election Administration and Voting Survey. U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Page 13.
November 2009.
http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Documents/2008%20Election%20Administration%20and%20Voting%20Survey%20EAVS%20Report.pdf
38
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





A ballot box large enough to fit the provisional ballot and the two separate envelopes
they are required to be sealed in. The box will also have to be metal and securely sealed
to maintain appropriate chain of custody procedures;
A separate provisional ballot roster;
A provisional ballot secrecy envelope;
A provisional ballot envelope to be sealed;
Staff time to assist provisional voters’ after Election Day; and
A provisional ballot board, which would consist of at least two election judges
representing two parties to process ballots.
3. Voters not voting in person (by-mail). In addition to the government-issued photographic
requirement for in person voters, the proposed amendment would require all voters —
including voters in mail-in precincts — to have their identity verified in a substantially
equivalent manner.
a. Mail-in precincts. In Minnesota, towns with fewer than 400 registered voters have
the option of being a mail-in precinct.43 This means that voters do not go to a precinct
on Election Day, saving the local government the costs of election supplies and
paying for judges on Election Day as well as training them. Of Minnesota’s 87
counties, 40 do not participate in this option. When looking at just the 47 counties
that participate in mail-in voting, 26.7 percent of precincts are mail-in and 6.1 percent
of all individuals who cast ballots in 2010 lived within those precincts. Further
examination shows that some counties had a large portion of their voters and
precincts fall under mail-in voting. For example, in nine counties over 50 percent of
their precincts are mail-in44 and in four counties over 50 percent of all voters were in
mail-in precincts.45
If mail-in voting is eliminated, townships and counties that participate in mail-in
voting will have to pay for hiring and training a minimum of four election judges per
precinct,46 purchasing a ballot-marking device for people with disabilities, purchasing
a ballot counting machine and finding a handicap-accessible location or retrofitting a
location to ensure that it is handicap accessible.
Based on the data from Kittson County, the total cost per mail-in precinct will be
about $19,500.47 With over 500 mail-in precincts in Minnesota, the total cost to local
governments could exceed $1 million dollars. However, these costs would not be
43
Mail voting was authorized by the Minnesota legislature in 1987.
Beltrami (50%); Watonwan (57%); Swift (58%); Traverse (65%); Big Stone (70%); Cook (83%); Lake of the Woods (88%); Marshall (90%);
Kittson (92%).
45
Actual voters, not registered voters. Kittson (64%); Marshall (66%); Cook (76%) and Lake of the Woods (78%).
46
Note that the Automark, a ballot marking device to help voters with disabilities, required per the Help America Vote Act, is electronic voting
equipment.. MS 204B.22 Election Judges; Number required.” A minimum of four election judges shall be appointed for each precinct, except as
provided by subdivision 2.
47
See footnote in Appendix A for more information.
44
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
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evenly distributed since some counties have a higher number of mail-in precincts.
Information about counties with mail-in precincts can be found in the appendix.
COST COMPARISONS
The expenses that would be incurred as a result of the elections amendment could instead be used for
other important priorities in Minnesota. What other services of benefit to Minnesotans could be
purchased?
Consider three alternative ways to spend tax dollars in Minnesota. The average teacher’s salary in
Minnesota is $52,000.48 The average police officer salary in Twin Cities is $61,000.49 The average
cost to repair a pothole $149.50
Proposed amendment
Paying for Services
State Costs:$10 million-$14 million
In 2010, the Long-Term Homeless Supportive
Services Fund provided supportive services to
1,689 households who have experienced longterm homelessness. The biennial budget for
the program is $12.8 million.51
Or, the government could repair 85,900 potholes.
Local Costs(with pollbooks that do not have
internet conductivity): $26.5 million
$21 million provides rental assistance for 2,300
previously homeless families (over 5,000
individuals).
With $23 million the government could hire 403
school teachers or 344 police officers, or repair
140,000 potholes.
Local Costs (with pollbooks that have internet
conductivity): $63.6 million
The cost to provide all essential services in
Rochester is $43 million
With $53 million the government could hire
1,019 school teachers or 868 police officers, or
repair 355,700 potholes.
48
http://www.nea.org/home/49840.htm
http://salaries-by-city.findthedata.org/l/73628/Police-and-Sheriff-s-Patrol-Officers
50
http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/mar/17/the_price_tag_to_fix_a_pothole-ar-367851/
Based on Virginia Department of Transportation estimates)
51
http://archive.leg.state.mn.us/docs/2011/other/110561/Special_Master_Filings_Minnesota_Coalition_for_the_homeless_correspondence.pdf
49
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
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INDIVIDUAL COSTS
$16 MILLION — $72 MILLION
Personal costs to voters
In addition to new expenditures by state and local governments, individuals will also incur costs if
the elections amendment to the constitution is adopted. While the amendment says the State will
provide a free government-issued identification to those lacking one, individuals will still face
expenses associated with securing the documents needed to obtain a Minnesota ID.
In Weinschenk v. Missouri, 203 S.W.3d 201 (2006), the Missouri Supreme Court struck down as a
violation of its state constitution a voter photo identification law. It did so in part because it found
that the costs imposed on citizens to secure the free government identification placed a substantial
burden on their right to vote. These costs included money spent to obtain a birth certificate,
naturalization papers, or passport, time spent in securing these papers and the government
identification, and the skills necessary to navigate the bureaucracy. In the State of Minnesota,
individuals would face similar costs if they presently do not have a Minnesota ID and needed to
obtain one in order to vote.
To obtain a government-issued identification a certified copy of a birth certificate, naturalization
papers, or passport may be required. Many individuals may not have these documents in their
possession and may be required to purchase them before applying for the Minnesota ID.
Who may need to get these documents? They might include:



Elderly people who may not have driven in years or anyone lacking a current driver’s
license
Newly married women who have changed their name and whose current driver’s license
lists them by their maiden name
Naturalized citizens
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
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Certified copies of birth certificates and naturalization papers are not free.




A certified copy of a Minnesota birth certificate costs $26.52
A certified copy of an out-of-state birth certificate costs between $10 and $30; it costs
$20 in Wisconsin, $18 in California, $22 in Texas, and $30 in New York.53
The replacement cost for naturalization papers is $345.54
The replacement cost for a passport is $100.55
The number of individuals without a current
driver’s license and who lack a certified birth
certificate is unknown. The Secretary of State
documented that 215,000 registered voters in the
state do not have a valid driver’s license.56
Presumably these individuals would need to have
a birth certificate or other identification to obtain
a Minnesota ID.
The Brennan Center for Justice has estimated
that in states such as Missouri, Ohio, and Virginia
between four and seven percent of the adult
population lack a birth certificate, naturalization
papers, or a passport necessary to secure a
government-issued identification needed to vote.
Among some populations, such as the elderly and
the poor, the percentage may be higher.
As of July 1, 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau
estimates there are 4,047,335 Minnesotans age 18
or more. Of that population, the Minnesota
Secretary of State estimates that 3.8 million are
potentially eligible to vote in Minnesota elections.
Assume that 4 percent or the population lacks the
Source: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, based on data from the
required identification to obtain a Minnesota ID.
Minnesota Secretary of State
This would be 152,000 individuals. Assume that
the percentage is 7 percent and that number would
be 266,000. The midpoint between these two numbers is 209,000, a figure not far from the Secretary
of State’s estimate of 215,000 individuals already registered to vote but who do not have a driver’s
52
Minnesota Department of Health http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/osr/birth.html
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/wisconsin.htm, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/california.htm ,
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/texas.htm , http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_york.htm .
54
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f
3d6a1RCRD&vgnextoid=a910cac09aa5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD .
55
U.S. Department of State, http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/lost/lost_848.html
56
Minnesota Public Radio News, http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/02/03/voter_id_faq/?refid=0 .
53
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
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license. This suggests that perhaps approximately 209,000 to 215,000 individuals in the state
currently lack a driver’s license and the identification necessary to get a Minnesota ID.
But in Minnesota, there is also a Catch 22: According to Minnesota law (Rule 4601.2600, Subp.8.) to
obtain a copy of a birth certificate one has to show, among others forms of identification, a driver’s
license. One thus could not get the government issued identification without a birth certificate and if
one did not have a certified copy of a birth certificate then one would have to present a drivers’
license to obtain it.
Additionally, there may be individuals who even lack a birth certificate because of home births or
their births were not recorded. For example, from 1935 to 2010, the Minnesota Department of Health
recorded 7,243 delayed birth recordings in the state. These are individuals who did not have a
certificate recorded at birth but had it registered later in life. These numbers suggest that there may
be other individuals in the state who lack a birth certificate.
Assume one needed to obtain a Minnesota birth certificate and one does not have a driver’s license.
In addition to the $26 fee, there are additional costs to the individual. These include bus
transportation to and from a local government office to get this birth certificate ($1.75 one-way or
$3.50 round-trip in Hennepin County; transportation costs are even higher in rural areas) and
potentially time off from work (assume three hours at the minimum wage of $7.25 or a total of
$21.75 in lost wages). Now once the birth certificate has been obtained assume another three hours to
go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get the Minnesota ID ($3.50 bus fare plus another $21.75
in lost wages). This means the potential cost to an individual born in Minnesota lacking a birth
certificate and a driver’s license will be at least $76.50 in order for them to obtain the free
identification to vote if the proposed elections amendment were adopted.
Some individuals with special needs may face even greater costs in seeking to obtain the Minnesota
ID. These individuals include the elderly who are in nursing homes or who have difficulty with
mobility in their own residence, and others with physical disabilities. Both of these classes of
individuals may be financially inconvenienced by the potential costs of special transportation in order
for them to make one or two trips to get the documents needed for the Minnesota ID and then the ID
itself. It is also impossible to compute the personal costs or inconveniences in transporting an elderly
and perhaps frail person to secure the documentation required to vote.
Some of these problems in obtaining a Minnesota birth certificate could be remedied if the state
provided one for free. But this does not address the problem for eligible Minnesotan voters who are
foreign born or born out-of-state. The Census Bureau estimates 7.1 percent of the population as
foreign born and 25.9 percent born out-of-state.57 These individuals will encounter costs to secure the
Minnesota ID if they lack proper documentation that are potentially greater than those of native-born
residents. In the case of immigrants, replacement costs for naturalization papers are $345.
In the state of Missouri when its Supreme Court invalidated its state voter identification law, the
Court also declared that the costs of navigating the government bureaucracy need to be considered.
57
Minnpost, http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2008/03/minnesotas-foreign-born-population-then-and-now .
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
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Calculating the costs and aggravation of working with some government bureaucracies is difficult to
calculate but nonetheless still constitutes a potential cost to the voter.
Thus, at a minimum, individuals born in this state who currently lack a Minnesota driver’s license
and a certified birth certificate will have to personally expend at least $76.50 to obtain the documents
necessary to vote. Naturalized citizens will have to spend at least $345. Assume that the 209,000
individuals without proof of identification want to get a Minnesota ID in order to vote. They will
spend at least between $15,990,000 and $72,100,000 to get the documents necessary to receive the
government ID.
CONCLUSION
It is difficult to estimate costs for this proposed amendment given the many unknowns. For example,
the proposed amendment requires all voters to have “substantially equivalent” identity verification.
This differs from requiring voters to have substantially equivalent identity requirements. In the first
case, based on the amendment language, it is unknown how a mail-in voter’s identity can be verified
in a manner that is the substantial equivalent of a voter standing in front of a judge, with a
government-issued photo identity in-hand. In the second case, one could list all possible or probable
government-issued photo IDs that voters would be required to have and then estimate the cost of
providing free IDs to all voters who do not have one of them.
To paraphrase a former Secretary of Defense, there are “known knowns”:



The State would be required to provide free voter photo IDs;
State and local governments would incur new costs of educating the public and election
judges of the changes to the elections systems; and
State and local governments would incur new costs of implementing provisional balloting.
There are “known unknowns”:




how substantially equivalent identity verification will be implemented;
how substantially equivalent eligibility verification will be implemented;
exactly how many people will need voter photo IDs; and
how many times the proposed implementation language will be challenged in court.
This report outlines some costs that would be borne by the State, by counties and by individuals,
should the amendment pass. There were limitations to the research as no other state has overhauled
its election system via constitutional mandate.58 Figures in this report were extrapolated based on a
58
Mississippi did change its Constitution. However, its change differs greatly from what is proposed in Minnesota. For example, it included
exemptions in its constitution and it did not include language such as “substantially equivalent identity and eligibility verification.”
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
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Page 15
survey conducted by Minnesota Association of County Officers, data from the vetoed 2011 photo
voter ID bill, and from the costs of voter ID already implemented in other states. However, the
existence of the “unknown unknowns” could drive the costs for Minnesotans even higher.
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
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Page 16
Appendix
The Cost of Minnesota’s Proposed Elections Amendment
www.ceimn.org
Page 17
# of registered
voters
County
AITKIN
ANOKA
BECKER
BELTRAMI
BENTON
BIG STONE
BLUE EARTH
BROWN
CARLTON
CARVER
CASS
CHIPPEWA
CHISAGO
CLAY
CLEARWATER
COOK
COTTONWOOD
CROW WING
DAKOTA
DODGE
# of mail in
precincts
Appendix A: Estimated Local costs.
9
0
11
31
1
16
15
0
15
0
34
0
0
0
1
10
1
10
0
0
10,160
193,058
18,865
24,832
20,987
3,594
38,456
14,706
19,785
53,165
17,978
7,164
31,252
31,100
4,779
3,467
6,469
38,079
237,746
10,906
low cost
for option
A ($5.08
per voter)
$51,613
$980,735
$95,834
$126,147
$106,614
$18,258
$195,356
$74,706
$100,508
$270,078
$91,328
$36,393
$158,760
$157,988
$24,277
$17,612
$32,863
$193,441
$1,207,750
$55,402
low cost for
option A
($7.57 per
voter)
$76,911
$1,461,449
$142,808
$187,978
$158,872
$27,207
$291,112
$111,324
$149,772
$402,459
$136,093
$54,231
$236,578
$235,427
$36,177
$26,245
$48,970
$288,258
$1,799,737
$82,558
high cost
for option
B($11.27
per voter)
$114,503
$2,175,764
$212,609
$279,857
$236,523
$40,504
$433,399
$165,737
$222,977
$599,170
$202,612
$80,738
$352,210
$350,497
$53,859
$39,073
$72,906
$429,150
$2,679,397
$122,911
high cost for
option B
($16.51 per
voter)
$167,742
$3,187,388
$311,461
$409,976
$346,495
$59,337
$634,909
$242,796
$326,650
$877,754
$296,817
$118,278
$515,971
$513,461
$78,901
$57,240
$106,803
$628,684
$3,925,186
$180,058
just mail-in
cost of
$19,500
per mail-in
precinct
$175,500
$0
$214,500
$604,500
$19,500
$312,000
$292,500
$0
$292,500
$0
$663,000
$0
$0
$0
$19,500
$195,000
$19,500
$195,000
$0
$0
total low
cost for
option A
($5.08 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$227,113
$980,735
$310,334
$730,647
$126,114
$330,258
$487,856
$74,706
$393,008
$270,078
$754,328
$36,393
$158,760
$157,988
$43,777
$212,612
$52,363
$388,441
$1,207,750
$55,402
total high
cost for
option A
($7.57 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$252,411
$1,461,449
$357,308
$792,478
$178,372
$339,207
$583,612
$111,324
$442,272
$402,459
$799,093
$54,231
$236,578
$235,427
$55,677
$221,245
$68,470
$483,258
$1,799,737
$82,558
total low
costs for
option B($
11.27 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$290,003
$2,175,764
$427,109
$884,357
$256,023
$352,504
$725,899
$165,737
$515,477
$599,170
$865,612
$80,738
$352,210
$350,497
$73,359
$234,073
$92,406
$624,150
$2,679,397
$122,911
total high
cost for
option B
($16.51 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$343,242
$3,187,388
$525,961
$1,014,476
$365,995
$371,337
$927,409
$242,796
$619,150
$877,754
$959,817
$118,278
$515,971
$513,461
$98,401
$252,240
$126,303
$823,684
$3,925,186
$180,058
This data is based on information from a 2012 survey conducted by the Minnesota Association of County Officers (MACO). MACO’s estimates for the proposed amendment are based on the vetoed HF 210 and
the language of the proposed amendment.
CEIMN used MACO’s data to determine the per voter cost based on actual voters for Pennington County was $7.57 (option A) and $16.51 (option B); Stearns was $5.08 (option A) and $11.27 (option B); and in
Ramsey County it was $6.05(option A) and $13.7 (option B). These figures include the costs of provisional balloting and computers for polling places. Option A is electronic poll books that do not have an
internet connection to the State Voter Registration System (SVRS) while option B represents a real-time connection to the SVRS. It then applied the lowest per voter cost ($5.08) and the highest per voter cost
($7.57) for the option A ( non-internet poll book) to estimate the county costs as well as the lowest per voter cost ($11.27) and the highest per voter cost ($16.51) for option B (the internet connected poll book.)
CEIMN then multiplied the total number of registered voters in 2010 to determine the county costs.
These three counties do not have mail-in precincts, thus that cost was not a factor. However, MACO reported that it would cost Kittson County, a county with a mail-in precinct, a total of $730,000. CEIMN
applied the per voter costs from the three counties that did not have mail-in precincts, multiplied it by the total number of voters of Kittson County. For example, based on the total number of voters in Kittson
County, it would cost between $14,285-$26,426 to implement electronic poll books. However, because additional potential costs are involved with the elimination of mail-in precincts, Kittson County projected it
could cost a total of $730,000. CEIMN subtracted that projected number from $14,285-$26,426 and divided it by the total number of mail in precincts to determine how much it would cost to convert each
precinct. It cost between $19,000-$19,900 per mail in precinct. CEIMN used the figure $19,500 times the mail-in precincts plus the estimated cost per voter to estimate costs for all counties, including those that
do not have mail in precincts.
Appendix A. Estimated Local Costs.
www.ceimn.org
Page 18
# of mail in
precincts
# of registered
voters
County
DOUGLAS
FARIBAULT
FILLMORE
FREEBORN
GOODHUE
GRANT
HENNEPIN
HOUSTON
HUBBARD
ISANTI
ITASCA
JACKSON
KANABEC
KANDIYOHI
KITTSON
KOOCHICHING
LAC QUI PARLE
LAKE
LAKE OF THE
WOODS
LE SUEUR
LINCOLN
LYON
MCLEOD
MAHNOMEN
MARSHALL
MARTIN
MEEKER
MILLE LACS
MORRISON
MOWER
MURRAY
NICOLLET
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
37
1
0
0
36
14
0
1
23,234
8,860
12,757
18,716
27,803
4,134
706,490
11,836
12,710
21,560
26,608
6,232
9,219
24,310
2,812
7,325
4,634
7,469
low cost
for option
A ($5.08
per voter)
$118,029
$45,009
$64,806
$95,077
$141,239
$21,001
$3,588,969
$60,127
$64,567
$109,525
$135,169
$31,659
$46,833
$123,495
$14,285
$37,211
$23,541
$37,943
15
2
0
2
0
7
55
1
0
4
18
0
11
2
2,548
16,289
3,543
133,668
20,813
2,930
5,083
12,777
13,955
14,577
18,230
20,790
5,150
19,961
$12,944
$82,748
$17,998
$679,033
$105,730
$14,884
$25,822
$64,907
$70,891
$74,051
$92,608
$105,613
$26,162
$101,402
Appendix A. Estimated Local Costs.
low cost for
option A
($7.57 per
voter)
$175,881
$67,070
$96,570
$141,680
$210,469
$31,294
$5,348,129
$89,599
$96,215
$163,209
$201,423
$47,176
$69,788
$184,027
$21,287
$55,450
$35,079
$56,540
high cost
for option
B($11.27
per voter)
$261,847
$99,852
$143,771
$210,929
$313,340
$46,590
$7,962,142
$133,392
$143,242
$242,981
$299,872
$70,235
$103,898
$273,974
$31,691
$82,553
$52,225
$84,176
high cost for
option B
($16.51 per
voter)
$383,593
$146,279
$210,618
$309,001
$459,028
$68,252
$11,664,150
$195,412
$209,842
$355,956
$439,298
$102,890
$152,206
$401,358
$46,426
$120,936
$76,507
$123,313
just mailin cost of
$19,500
per mail-in
precinct
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$78,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$721,500
$19,500
$0
$0
$702,000
$273,000
$0
$19,500
total low
cost for
option A
($5.08 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$118,029
$45,009
$64,806
$95,077
$141,239
$99,001
$3,588,969
$60,127
$64,567
$109,525
$856,669
$51,159
$46,833
$123,495
$716,285
$310,211
$23,541
$57,443
$19,288
$123,308
$26,821
$1,011,867
$157,554
$22,180
$38,478
$96,722
$105,639
$110,348
$138,001
$157,380
$38,986
$151,105
$28,716
$183,577
$39,930
$1,506,438
$234,563
$33,021
$57,285
$143,997
$157,273
$164,283
$205,452
$234,303
$58,041
$224,960
$42,067
$268,931
$58,495
$2,206,859
$343,623
$48,374
$83,920
$210,948
$230,397
$240,666
$300,977
$343,243
$85,027
$329,556
$292,500
$39,000
$0
$39,000
$0
$136,500
$1,072,500
$19,500
$0
$78,000
$351,000
$0
$214,500
$39,000
$305,444
$121,748
$17,998
$718,033
$105,730
$151,384
$1,098,322
$84,407
$70,891
$152,051
$443,608
$105,613
$240,662
$140,402
www.ceimn.org
total high
cost for
option A
($7.57 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$175,881
$67,070
$96,570
$141,680
$210,469
$109,294
$5,348,129
$89,599
$96,215
$163,209
$922,923
$66,676
$69,788
$184,027
$723,287
$328,450
$35,079
$76,040
total low
costs for
option B($
11.27 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$261,847
$99,852
$143,771
$210,929
$313,340
$124,590
$7,962,142
$133,392
$143,242
$242,981
$1,021,372
$89,735
$103,898
$273,974
$733,691
$355,553
$52,225
$103,676
total high
cost for
option B
($16.51 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$383,593
$146,279
$210,618
$309,001
$459,028
$146,252
$11,664,150
$195,412
$209,842
$355,956
$1,160,798
$122,390
$152,206
$401,358
$748,426
$393,936
$76,507
$142,813
$311,788
$162,308
$26,821
$1,050,867
$157,554
$158,680
$1,110,978
$116,222
$105,639
$188,348
$489,001
$157,380
$253,486
$190,105
$321,216
$222,577
$39,930
$1,545,438
$234,563
$169,521
$1,129,785
$163,497
$157,273
$242,283
$556,452
$234,303
$272,541
$263,960
$334,567
$307,931
$58,495
$2,245,859
$343,623
$184,874
$1,156,420
$230,448
$230,397
$318,666
$651,977
$343,243
$299,527
$368,556
Page 19
# of mail in
precincts
# of registered
voters
County
NOBLES
NORMAN
OLMSTED
OTTER TAIL
PENNINGTON
PINE
PIPESTONE
POLK
POPE
RAMSEY
RED LAKE
REDWOOD
RENVILLE
RICE
ROCK
ROSEAU
SAINT LOUIS
SCOTT
SHERBURNE
SIBLEY
STEARNS
STEELE
STEVENS
SWIFT
TODD
TRAVERSE
WABASHA
WADENA
WASECA
WASHINGTON
WATONWAN
WILKIN
WINONA
WRIGHT
YELLOW
MEDICINE
2
16
0
0
0
10
1
28
3
0
9
0
0
1
5
8
17
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
1
13
0
0
1
1
12
0
1
0
9,547
3,701
82,769
34,822
7,267
15,800
5,338
16,417
7,281
297,489
2,414
9,563
9,089
35,220
5,354
8,683
127,620
73,016
48,383
8,365
85,631
20,995
6,203
5,698
13,453
2,232
13,126
7,808
10,793
146,702
5,756
3,774
29,307
69,772
low cost
for option
A ($5.08
per voter)
$48,499
$18,801
$420,467
$176,896
$36,916
$80,264
$27,117
$83,398
$36,987
$1,511,244
$12,263
$48,580
$46,172
$178,918
$27,198
$44,110
$648,310
$370,921
$245,786
$42,494
$435,005
$106,655
$31,511
$28,946
$68,341
$11,339
$66,680
$39,665
$54,828
$745,246
$29,240
$19,172
$148,880
$354,442
low cost for
option A
($7.57 per
voter)
$72,271
$28,017
$626,561
$263,603
$55,011
$119,606
$40,409
$124,277
$55,117
$2,251,992
$18,274
$72,392
$68,804
$266,615
$40,530
$65,730
$966,083
$552,731
$366,259
$63,323
$648,227
$158,932
$46,957
$43,134
$101,839
$16,896
$99,364
$59,107
$81,703
$1,110,534
$43,573
$28,569
$221,854
$528,174
high cost
for option
B($11.27
per voter)
$107,595
$41,710
$932,807
$392,444
$81,899
$178,066
$60,159
$185,020
$82,057
$3,352,701
$27,206
$107,775
$102,433
$396,929
$60,340
$97,857
$1,438,277
$822,890
$545,276
$94,274
$965,061
$236,614
$69,908
$64,216
$151,615
$25,155
$147,930
$87,996
$121,637
$1,653,332
$64,870
$42,533
$330,290
$786,330
high cost for
option B
($16.51 per
voter)
$157,621
$61,104
$1,366,516
$574,911
$119,978
$260,858
$88,130
$271,045
$120,209
$4,911,543
$39,855
$157,885
$150,059
$581,482
$88,395
$143,356
$2,107,006
$1,205,494
$798,803
$138,106
$1,413,768
$346,627
$102,412
$94,074
$222,109
$36,850
$216,710
$128,910
$178,192
$2,422,050
$95,032
$62,309
$483,859
$1,151,936
just mail-in
cost of
$19,500 per
mail-in
precinct
$39,000
$312,000
$0
$0
$0
$195,000
$19,500
$546,000
$58,500
$0
$175,500
$0
$0
$19,500
$97,500
$156,000
$331,500
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$351,000
$19,500
$253,500
$0
$0
$19,500
$19,500
$234,000
$0
$19,500
$0
total low
cost for
option A
($5.08 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$87,499
$330,801
$420,467
$176,896
$36,916
$275,264
$46,617
$629,398
$95,487
$1,511,244
$187,763
$48,580
$46,172
$198,418
$124,698
$200,110
$979,810
$370,921
$245,786
$42,494
$435,005
$106,655
$31,511
$379,946
$87,841
$264,839
$66,680
$39,665
$74,328
$764,746
$263,240
$19,172
$168,380
$354,442
2
6,136
Total local costs:
$31,171
$16,505,403
$46,450
$24,595,649
$69,153
$36,617,301
$101,305
$53,642,558
$39,000
$10,003,500
$70,171
$26,508,903
Appendix A. Estimated Local Costs.
www.ceimn.org
total high
cost for
option A
($7.57 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$111,271
$340,017
$626,561
$263,603
$55,011
$314,606
$59,909
$670,277
$113,617
$2,251,992
$193,774
$72,392
$68,804
$286,115
$138,030
$221,730
$1,297,583
$552,731
$366,259
$63,323
$648,227
$158,932
$46,957
$394,134
$121,339
$270,396
$99,364
$59,107
$101,203
$1,130,034
$277,573
$28,569
$241,354
$528,174
total low
costs for
option B($
11.27 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$146,595
$353,710
$932,807
$392,444
$81,899
$373,066
$79,659
$731,020
$140,557
$3,352,701
$202,706
$107,775
$102,433
$416,429
$157,840
$253,857
$1,769,777
$822,890
$545,276
$94,274
$965,061
$236,614
$69,908
$415,216
$171,115
$278,655
$147,930
$87,996
$141,137
$1,672,832
$298,870
$42,533
$349,790
$786,330
total high
cost for
option B
($16.51 per
voter + mailin precinct
costs)
$196,621
$373,104
$1,366,516
$574,911
$119,978
$455,858
$107,630
$817,045
$178,709
$4,911,543
$215,355
$157,885
$150,059
$600,982
$185,895
$299,356
$2,438,506
$1,205,494
$798,803
$138,106
$1,413,768
$346,627
$102,412
$445,074
$241,609
$290,350
$216,710
$128,910
$197,692
$2,441,550
$329,032
$62,309
$503,359
$1,151,936
$85,450
$34,599,149
$108,153
$46,620,801
$140,305
$63,646,058
Page 20
Appendix B: Counties with Mail-in Precincts in Minnesota59
County
Aitkin
Becker
Beltrami
Benton
Big Stone
Blue Earth
Carlton
Cass
Clearwater
Cook
Cottonwood
Crow Wing
Grant
Itasca
Jackson
Kittson
Koochiching
Lake
Lake of the
Woods
Le Sueur
Lyon
Mahnomen
Marshall
Martin
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Murray
Nicollet
Nobles
Norman
Pine
Pipestone
Polk
59
# of
precincts
54
48
62
30
23
54
39
73
29
12
28
62
23
77
30
39
36
18
# of mailin
precincts
9
11
31
1
16
15
15
34
1
10
1
10
4
37
1
36
14
1
% of mailin precincts
16.67
22.92
50.00
3.33
69.57
27.78
38.46
46.58
3.45
83.33
3.57
16.13
17.39
48.05
3.33
92.31
38.89
5.56
17
27
33
19
61
37
25
48
29
33
40
33
47
22
81
15
2
2
7
55
1
4
18
11
2
2
16
10
1
28
88.24
7.41
6.06
36.84
90.16
2.70
16.00
37.50
37.93
6.06
5.00
48.48
21.28
4.55
34.57
# of voters in
# of mail-in
2010 general voters in 2010
election
gen. election
7,425
294
11,904
741
16,187
1,589
13,827
105
2,233
791
22,565
1,754
13,780
1,410
13,081
2,115
3,590
2
2,858
2,159
4,657
48
27,658
602
3,069
138
19,835
4,581
4,363
133
2,006
1,279
5,119
623
5,614
78
1,907
11,679
9,002
1,943
4,316
8,827
10,290
12,909
3,818
13,327
6,050
2,693
10,995
3,618
10,864
% of mailin voters in
2010 gen.
election
3.96
6.22
9.82
0.76
35.42
7.77
10.23
16.17
0.06
75.54
1.03
2.18
4.50
23.10
3.05
63.76
12.17
1.39
1,479
214
265
523
2,842
28
358
1,835
779
53
90
599
410
11
1,242
77.56
1.83
2.94
26.92
65.85
0.32
3.48
14.21
20.40
0.40
1.49
22.24
3.73
0.30
11.43
Data from Minnesota Secretary of State, 2010 election results. http://www.sos.state.mn.us/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9737
Appendix B. Counties with mail-in precincts Minnesota www.ceimn.org
Page 21
County
Pope
Red Lake
Rice
Rock
Roseau
Saint Louis
Swift
Todd
Traverse
Waseca
Washington
Watonwan
Winona
Yellow Medicine
Total
# of
precincts
31
22
33
24
44
178
31
40
20
22
90
21
49
31
636
# of mailin
precincts
3
9
1
5
8
17
18
1
13
1
1
12
1
2
92
% of mailin precincts
9.68
40.91
3.03
20.83
18.18
9.55
58.06
2.50
65.00
4.55
1.11
57.14
2.04
6.45
14.47
# of voters in
2010 general
election
5,299
1,620
23,478
3,706
6,683
85,295
4,522
9,395
1,807
7,937
103,724
4,282
18,455
4,174
280,377
Appendix B. Counties with mail-in precincts Minnesota www.ceimn.org
# of mail-in
voters in
2010 gen.
election
56
411
6
255
333
1,344
1,300
0
588
4
1
1,246
8
223
5,775
% of mail-in
voters in
2010 gen
election
1.06
25.37
0.03
6.88
4.98
1.58
28.75
0.00
32.54
0.05
0.00
29.10
0.04
5.34
2.06
Page 22
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Open Society Foundations and Demos for funding this report. We
would also like to thank Steven Carbó and Liz Kennedy of Demos for their technical
assistance and review.
.
Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota (www.ceimn.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization that advocates for verifiable, transparent, and accurate elections in Minnesota and
across the country.